Charlies Infected anal glands again

[Karen and Ruby]

Just 6 weeks since they ruptured and burst on Good Friday we were back at the vets again today as he has been fussing them alot the past few days!
Vet says the left side is the size of a large grape and should be pea sized!!
He is back on antibiotics and Metacam and has to have his buster collar back on too!
My poor little monkey really hasnt had a great start to the year!- the vet is very pessimistic and truely beleives it will have to be removed

Just wondering if anyone has had to go through this operation- the vet said it is a very tricky op to do and will need a vet whom is very experienced in soft tissue surgery to perform it!- he will only have the one removed as the other has had no problems at all!

[pippa]

Hope Charlie is feeling well again soon.xx

[Desrae]

Oh that is terrible. Poor Charlie! That must be so painful... may he feel better soon!

I have no experience in this area at all (Thank Goodness) but I must say that it would be a rare thing for a vet to be an expert in soft tissue surgery. Do you have to search for him/her or is your vet arranging it all? Good Luck.

[Margaret C]

Just 6 weeks since they ruptured and burst on Good Friday we were back at the vets again today as he has been fussing them alot the past few days!
Vet says the left side is the size of a large grape and should be pea sized!!
He is back on antibiotics and Metacam and has to have his buster collar back on too!
My poor little monkey really hasnt had a great start to the year!- the vet is very pessimistic and truely beleives it will have to be removed

Just wondering if anyone has had to go through this operation- the vet said it is a very tricky op to do and will need a vet whom is very experienced in soft tissue surgery to perform it!- he will only have the one removed as the other has had no problems at all!

My daughter is facing the same problem as you with George, her Japanese Chin. I have not known quite what to advise her, except to add bran to his dinner & not to rush into an operation too quickly.

I have know occasions when a dog has had a run of anal gland abscesses and then gone for years without a problem.

My Monty had both anal glands removed by my vet because of a continual low grade infection.
The vet had to cut very deep to remove all the gland and there were concerns that Monty may be incontinent of faeces.
He was okay, but to have that happen to a much loved dog living within the family, is not a risk to be taken lightly.

[Wagtails]

I think I would try taking him to the vet once a month to get the gland cleaned out regularly before deciding on surgery. Half the battle with anal gland problems seems to be having to accept that they need attention more often than we would like!!

Good luck, whatever you decide

[Teresa]

Just a thought, I think vets can show you how to do this yourself (if you can be brave to do it)
Not sure if it will help but maybe worth asking??

[Karen and Ruby]

Yes they could be done by me but he is still very funny having anything fussing with him and even to brush his ears is still a 2 person job- one to have treats in hand and one to do the brushing!!

I wouldn't want to do it while they are badly infected though- ive started him on a high fibre food (Burns High Oats) which is what Ruby went on when she had problems and Ive had her on it ever since and she hasnt had hers cleaned for over a year.
The only reason I hadnt put him on it earlier is as his weight is still low and burns isnt good for weight gaining- more for weight loosing which is the last thing we need!!
But ie got some raw meat to add in aswell so hopefully it may do the trick!

We will have to see how we go- he is back at the vets in a weeks time to see how it is going

[Teresa]

Ahh i see what you mean!! Barney lets me brush him ok but hates me brushing around his back end!!

Hope it settles soon...x

[Tania]

Hi

I have had a battle with anal glands with all three. We take the dogs to the vets every 4/5 weeks for a check and to keep them clear as we have also had to deal with infections etc.

I stopped feeding Molly commercial food about a year ago but continued with bran in her food, it took a while but each time we visit the vets she has been clear. I stopped feeding Dougall commercial food (Royal Canin for CKCS) about 4 weeks ago, we took him last week and he was clear for the first time ever!. I know this breed are prone to this condition but I feel commercial food aggrevates the problem.

Before surgery I would follow Wagtails advice and see what happens.

kind regards